The present invention relates to post type shelving that use shelf supports that have two halves hinged to close around a post with a snap lock or closure. Shelving systems using round or square corner posts and welded wire shelves have been long known. These systems typically use corner posts with a series of spaced annular grooves or, alternatively, notches cut into the posts. Tapered shelf supports having interior ridges corresponding to the annular grooves or notches are then placed around the post and locked or held in place. A welded wire shelf having tubular tapered collars at each corner is threaded over the posts and allowed to rest on the shelf supports as they slide into the collars. Because of the tapered shape of the support and the collar and the nesting of the shelf support ridge in the post groove, the support is tightened around the post and collar rests on and is supported by the shelf supports.
In the past, various shelf support designs have been used. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,640,498, 3,675,598, 4,138,953, 4,527,490, 4,627,543, 4,656,952, 4,754,712, 4,799,818, 4,852,501, and International application No. PCT/US89/02067 all disclose shelf supports of the same general type as described above. However, none of these shelf supports have been entirely satisfactory. The Bolinger shelf support disclosed in PCT/US89/02067 is hinged, has a snap closure, and contains one or two internal ridges. However, the Bolinger shelf support has smooth exterior sides, which provides often unsatisfactory contact between the collar and the shelf support and does not allow the collar to grip the shelf support tightly. In addition, the Bolinger shelf support has a beveled or chamfered upper lip which permits the collar to disengage by moving vertically when the shelf assembly is jarred or bumped. This often occurs when the shelving in used inside of a truck or a delivery van. Furthermore, the Bolinger shelf support can be snapped in place around the post without the ridges being in alignment with the grooves in the posts, thereby increasing the possibility that a corner of the shelf will be misaligned with the other corners of the shelf. Finally, the grooves of the Bolinger posts are rounded rather than square. Rounded groove do not satisfactorily resist the slippage of the shelf support ridges, thereby reducing the load capacity of the shelf support.